News Roundup 19 August 2020
Aug 19, 2020 • 5 min Read
COVID-19 cases in Philippines top 173,000 as Metro Manila goes back to GCQ | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health reported 4,650 coronavirus infections Wednesday, bringing the country’s caseload to 173,774 as Metro Manila and other urban centers returned to general community quarantine. Total recoveries also rose to 113,481 after 716 more people survived the respiratory illness. However, the death toll climbed to 2,795 with 111 new fatalities.
There may be millions of undetected COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, Ateneo paper says | PHILSTAR.COM – Nearly three million Filipinos or 2.6% of the country’s population may have contracted coronavirus disease during the second quarter, a preliminary copy of a study from the Ateneo De Manila University suggested. A working paper authored by Jan Fredrick Cruz and released by the university’s Department of Economics projects that 2.81 million may have been infected with COVID-19 from April to June but only 34,354 or 1.22% of the estimated cases were reported for that period. Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country reached 173,774 on Wednesday, August 19. Cruz arrived at the estimates by multiplying the number of reported cases with the ratio obtained by dividing a country’s case fatality rate against that of Singapore, which has the lowest CFR among the ASEAN-5 member states. Aside from Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia comprise ASEAN-5. The author’s analysis suggested that roughly 98% of COVID-19 cases in the country have gone undetected in the second quarter.
AFP chief highlights PNP ‘cover-up’ in shooting of 4 Army intel officers | INQUIRER.NET – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay on Wednesday alleged that there was an attempt on the part of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to cover up the misdeeds of the nine police officers involved in the fatal shooting of four military intelligence officers in Sulu last June. “[If the] PNP would be investigating the misdeeds of their own, minsan kasi, nandun na yung opportunity na magkaroon ng bias,” Gapay said during the hearing of the Senate public order committee. ([If the] PNP would be investigating the misdeeds of their own, sometimes, there is the opportunity to be biased.) Gapay said he found the incident “very unique” since the military and police have always had close coordination with each other. “The close coordination between the AFP and the PNP has produced significant accomplishments not only against local terrorists…but as well as the anti-criminality campaign, napakaganda [it was effective],” the military official said. “Ito lang talagang nakakapagtaka,” he added, referring to the incident that claimed the lives of four Army officers. (This incident puzzles us.) “For several years, okay naman tayo but for this particular operation, bakit ganito ang nangyari? There’s something wrong here,” he further said. (For several years, our coordination has been okay but for this particular operation, why did this happen? There’s something wrong here.) He also said that the initial spot report of the police on the incident was “fabricated” and had many “inconsistencies.” “When we read the spot report, we already have an overview of what really happened. We find it really fantastic, unbelievable na tumakas yung sasakyan, habulan and then flagged down, bumaba, nagkaputukan..there was a firefight. Misencounter nga yun terminology,” Gapay said. (When we read the spot report, we already have an overview of what really happened. We find it really fantastic, unbelievable that the vehicle of the military officers sped off, a car chase ensued, then they alighted from the vehicle, and then a shooting transpired…there was a firefight. The terminology used then was misencounter.)
Urban poor most devastated by pandemic, lockdowns | Manila Bulletin – Five months into the community quarantine, concerns are mounting for urban poor communities across Metro Manila as they don’t have enough support to cope during the coronavirus pandemic. They claimed their already difficult lives have worsened with no means to support themselves in this time of public health crisis. “The situation in Baseco has worsened especially for those of us who have family members that tested COVID-19 positive,” Jeorgie Tenolete, president of Kabalikat ng Kaunlaran sa Baseco (Kabalikat) said. As of Wednesday, he noted 18 families were placed under 14-day home quarantine “without any aid from the government.” “Since they cannot go out to work, they suffer from hunger, loneliness, and fear of the repercussions of COVID-19,” said Tenolete.
Armed Forces chief calls for filing of murder raps vs 9 policemen over Sulu shooting | The Manila Times – Armed Forces Chief Gilbert Gapay on Wednesday sought the immediate filing of murder charges against the nine policemen in Jolo, Sulu for the killing of four Army officers on June 29. Gapay made the appeal to the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership during the Senate inquiry on the deaths of Maj. Marvin Indammog, Cpt. Irwin Managuelod, Sgt. Jaime Velasco Jr., and Cpl. Abdal Asula. He claimed that the killing of the Army officers was “deliberate” since there was “no unlawful aggression” on the part of the victims who were after two suspected women suicide bombers on the day of the incident. “There were a lot of speculations. That’s why on the part of the Armed Forces [of the Philippines] we urge the immediate filing of murder, planting of evidence and neglect of duty as recommended by NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) on the proper courts immediately,” he said. “We’ve been waiting for two months already. You know justice delayed is justice denied. So we expect immediate filing of the recommendations and charges found out by the NBI during the initial investigation,” Gapay said.
